La Defensa del Sur: which way and when to ride
The best month for La Defensa del Sur is December: 88% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In December the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.4 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 85% | 10% | 35 | 15 °C | 0% | 9% | 9.7 † |
| February | 88% | 9% | 18 | 16 °C | 0% | 6% | 10.7 † |
| March | 83% | 16% | 58 | 19 °C | 0% | 2% | 11.8 |
| April | 81% | 18% | 46 | 21 °C | 1% | 0% | 13.2 |
| May | 78% | 14% | 34 | 25 °C | 8% | 0% | 14.3 |
| June | 48% | 9% | 21 | 29 °C | 45% | 0% | 14.9 |
| July | 13% | 4% | 7 | 33 °C | 84% | 0% | 14.6 |
| August | 15% | 10% | 20 | 32 °C | 78% | 0% | 13.7 |
| September | 54% | 19% | 61 | 28 °C | 28% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 81% | 15% | 55 | 24 °C | 5% | 0% | 11.1 |
| November | 87% | 13% | 42 | 19 °C | 0% | 1% | 10.0 † |
| December | 88% | 9% | 32 | 16 °C | 0% | 5% | 9.5 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Valencia → Orihuela, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Valencia → Orihuela | Headwind > 15 km/h, Orihuela → Valencia | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.5 | 2% | 5% | either |
| February | +0.9 | 2% | 5% | either |
| March | +1.0 | 3% | 8% | either |
| April | 0.0 | 3% | 5% | either |
| May | −1.0 | 2% | 2% | either |
| June | −1.5 | 2% | 1% | either |
| July | −1.6 | 2% | 1% | either |
| August | −1.2 | 2% | 1% | either |
| September | −0.4 | 1% | 2% | either |
| October | −0.5 | 1% | 2% | either |
| November | +0.5 | 1% | 4% | either |
| December | +0.4 | 1% | 4% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in December, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | S | −0.1 |
| 25–50 | S | −0.1 |
| 50–75 | S | +0.8 |
| 75–101 | SW | −0.7 |
| 101–129 | SW | −1.6 |
| 129–154 | SW | +0.4 |
| 154–179 | S | +3.8 |
| 179–204 | SE | +3.6 |
| 204–230 | SW | −1.5 |
| 230–244 | SW | −0.3 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.